The Aftermath: Bruins Lose, What Do We Do?

“It’s tough to swallow. We have such a good team; to even think that our season is over right now is…just trying to process it because we have such a good team it shouldn’t be.”-Johnny Boychuk on the Game 7 loss.

Inevitably the end of the Bruins season has come yet again. While they may have had an earlier exit than anticipated or hoped, we’re at the end of this journey nonetheless. Every season one of the hardest posts to write is the conclusion because now we are forced to face the facts. We are forced to say goodbye to players that we’ve formed a bond with throughout the course of an 82 game season, some that may come back while others go their separate ways. All of the underlying truths come to light.

While it’s easy to point the finger at this player or that for not showing up, that’s not the case with this series loss. Collectively, the team that has always always seemed to find a way to come from behind and dig deep to get the gritty win, was nowhere to be found.

Much like any season there are going to be those fans who call for Tuukka’s head on a platter, or blame the loss on Seidenberg’s absence. The truth is, there are 22 men that suit up for each and every game. 22 players that need to set foot on the ice 110% prepared mentally and physically to put forth their best efforts. For the Bruins, it simply wasn’t all there.

While we could dive in and take the in-depth look at how invisible David Krejci was (4 assists, -2 rating), or how Zdeno Chara seemed to be missing in action throughout the course of the Montreal series, we won’t. That’s what everyone else is doing, portraying the negative. Those facts are tried and tired at this point. Instead we’ll leave this season end on a more positive note.

For instance, looking ahead at next season the Bruins shouldn’t need to make any big changes as they already have a solid team set in place. While they need some adjustments offensively, there is plenty of talent in Matt Fraser and Ryan Spooner that can be utilized to fill the void.

Given the extended off season, defensemen Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg have time enough to heal properly and get back into shape for the 2014-2015 season along with forward Chris Kelly. While there haven’t been any other injuries reported on the team at the time this article is being written, the likeliness of other members needing time to heal is plausible.

While the hope may be gone for this season, there is always another one to follow. With heavy hearts full of pride in the men who wear black and gold we bid farewell to the 2013-2014 season. It was a hell of a ride and we look forward to making more memories with the team we have all come to love.